As a method of forming an internal electrode or a wiring circuit in manufacturing a multilayer ceramic capacitor including an internal electrode for forming a capacitance or a ceramic multilayer substrate including a wiring circuit, for example, a method such as a gravure printing method in which a conductive paste is applied onto a ceramic green sheet using a printing plate for intaglio printing, is widely known.
In addition, a method in which printing is performed using a printing plate for intaglio printing as described above is also widely applied, as a method of applying a ceramic paste or a resistance paste, to the case where an insulating film or a resistance film is formed in a manufacturing process of an electronic component.
By the way, as a conductive paste for formation of an electrode of an electronic component, for example, a conductive paste having viscosity of about 1 to 40 Pa·s is used.
Since the conductive paste is appropriately selected in accordance with characteristics of the electronic component as a product and used, the viscosity of the conductive paste varies depending on a type of the electronic component. In applying a conductive paste having a wide viscosity range, it is actually difficult to print so as to obtain an intended graphic pattern (printing coating) when using a printing plate having a printing pattern which is the same across the board.
That is, in order to print so as to obtain an intended graphic pattern by applying a conductive paste varying in viscosity, a printing plate including a printing pattern to fit the viscosity of the conductive paste is required. However, there is a problem that it is not easy to match a conductive paste with a printing pattern.
Further, in recent years, a range of the viscosity of a conductive paste to be used for printing becomes as wide as 0.01 to 80 Pa·s, and thus smoothness and a planarization property of a printed coating are deteriorated.
As a technology concerned with such gravure printing, JP-A-2006-110916 discloses a plate for gravure printing in which a plurality of printing patterns corresponding to the graphic pattern to be printed is formed on an outer periphery of a cylindrical gravure roll, and printing patterns are formed by arranging, parallel to one another, a plurality of printing-direction banks having a flection and extending substantially along a printing direction.
Furthermore, JP-A-2006-110916 discloses that an angle θ of a flection 112 of a printing-direction bank 113 constituting a printing pattern P1 is acute as shown in FIG. 17 or a shape of a flection 112 of a printing pattern P1 is curved as shown in FIG. 18. In addition, in the printing pattern P1 in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, a direction indicated by arrow A is a printing direction.
However, in the case of the gravure printing plate of JP-A-2006-110916, there is a problem that behaviors of transferring/misting of the conductive paste at a flection (turn back portion) 112 vary depending on the viscosity of the conductive paste and variations in a printing thickness and smoothness of a coated film result.
Further, in order to prevent the so-called saddle phenomenon that a peripheral portion of the graphic pattern formed by applying the conductive paste upsurges, a width of the printing-direction bank 113 is increased (that is, a large width portion 113a is provided) in a surrounding region of the printing pattern P1 as shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18; however, in JP-A-2006-110916, there is a problem that the linearity of an outer periphery of a graphic pattern printed is deteriorated since the printing pattern P1 is a flection pattern as described above.
Further, in the case of the gravure printing plate of JP-A-2006-110916, when a narrow graphic pattern in which a width direction dimension, a dimension in a direction orthogonal to the printing direction (direction indicated by arrow A), is, for example, 200 μm or less, is formed, the linearity of a side edge parallel to the printing direction tends to be deteriorated.
Further, as a conventional printing pattern, for example, as shown in FIG. 19, a printing pattern P2 having a configuration in which a plurality of rectangular cells 121 are consecutively arranged and neighboring cells are separated by a bank 122, is conceived. However, the printing pattern P2 thus configured has a problem that it is hard to form a smooth printed film of a conductive paste of high viscosity.
Thus, in order to solve such a problem, a printing pattern P3 in which as shown in FIG. 20, a notch 133 is formed at alternate positions along the printing direction of a bank 132 separating cells 131 adjacent to each other in the printing direction (direction indicated by arrow A), is conceived, and put into practical use. In the case of this printing pattern P3, the conductive paste filled into the cell 131 is transferred while stably generating, over the bank 132, misting from the cell 131 to a printing object in being printed (transferred) to the printing object such as a ceramic green sheet, and therefore it is possible to ensure the smoothness of a printed graphic pattern.
However, in the case of the printing pattern P3, there is a problem that this printing pattern cannot adapt to a narrow graphic pattern having a small dimension in a width direction since the above-mentioned structure in which a plurality of cells are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the printing direction cannot be realized when a dimension in a width direction (dimension in a direction orthogonal to the printing direction) of the graphic pattern (printing figure) formed by applying the printing paste is reduced.
Further, JP-A-2012-71533 also proposes, but it is not particularly shown, a printing pattern in which end banks are formed at ends on both sides in a direction orthogonal to the printing direction and a plurality of banks are also arranged in a central region in a direction orthogonal to the printing direction. However, in the case of the printing pattern, there is also a problem that this printing pattern cannot adapt to a narrow graphic pattern having a small dimension in a width direction.